Frank Liddell. Photo: Blu Sanders
Don’t miss 2017 ACM Album of the Year recipient Frank Liddell on The Producer’s Chair on Thursday, October 26 at World Music Nashville at 7:30 p.m. Purchase tickets http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3115850
If I were to speculate as to why Frank Liddell is one of the most sought-after producers on Music Row, I would have to say he has great ears, great instincts, he knows when to get out of the way and his records don’t sound like anybody else’s. But don’t think for one minute his learning curve was easy. Liddell wasn’t an engineer, a musician, a songwriter or an artist. He joked about being out to dinner with Dann Huff and not understanding a word he says half the time…and Huff thought he was joking. Liddell says having a publishing background and having a musician’s background are worlds apart.
Liddell moved from Houston to Nashville in the early ’90s, where his first two career stops were Bluewater Music and Decca, where he pitched songs, scouted talent, and helped creatively direct careers but, it was during his stint at Decca, that he started doing what producer’s do.
“I started doing demos years ago with a guy named Bill Holiday, a guitar player who had a studio. And the first time I showed up, he had a track sheet and at the top it said my name as a Producer. I said, ‘What does a producer do?’ I was a songplugger. And he said, ‘You’re gonna help me figure this thing out.’ I had so much fun.”
In 1997, Liddell launched Carnival Music’s publishing arm with partner Travis Hill, an embodiment of his fully formed music-first philosophy.
“This is a talent-driven town, not marketing driven,” Liddell says. “The marketing doesn’t inspire the talent; the talent inspires the marketing.”
Today Carnival has a boat-load of publishing awards, a record label division, The Carnival Recording Co. and 14 staff writers including Adam Wright, Aubrie Sellers, Brent Cobb, Dani Flowers, David Nail, Derik Hultquist, Hailey Whitters, Mando Saenz, Scooter Carusoe, Stoney LaRue, Troy Jones, Dustin Christenson, Aham Smith and Gretchen Peters, a handful of whom, are in artist development. Since its inception, Carnival has published the first No. 1 singles of eight songwriters’ careers.
Recently Liddell won his fourth Album of the Year trophy at the 2017 ACM Awards for Miranda Lambert’s The Weight of These Wings and 2014 ACM Producer of the Year, following his three other wins, for his work on Four the Record in 2012, Revolution in 2010 and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend in 2008.
The Weight of These Wings is two discs (24 songs) and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart and No. 3 on the all-genre US Billboard 200 chart in 2016 and is certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Other releases Liddell has worked on include Lee Ann Womack’s The Way I’m Livin’, The Very Best of Kellie Pickler, David Nail’s Fighter and I’m a Fire, Stoney LaRue’s Aviator, and Eli Young Band’s 10,000 Towns in 2014, Aubrie Seller’s New City Blues album in 2016 and Charlie Worsham’s 2017 album Beginning of Things.
The Producer’s Chair: I saw where your youngest daughter Annalise (18), has an ‘Assistant Engineer’ credit on Miranda’s album. Would you consider that a part of her artist development?
Frank Liddell: To get where they’re going, everybody in our business, took a different path. If you look at Jay Joyce, he was an alternative rock artist and then guitar player and somehow now—among the many other genius things—I see he produces country records. It’s logical but nobody else will do it that way again. She just said; “You know what … I wanna just work in the studio.” And I think she’s trying to find her way. I think that any time you learn one discipline, or even a little bit about that discipline, you know a little more about another.
Your eldest daughter Aubrie (26) is signed to Warner Bros. How did that come about?
We made her record independently and I funded it (Carnival Recording Company) and Warner Bros. bought the record and took over. We put it out and Warner loved it and bought it and worked with her and this next record will be hers and their record, from the ground up and they’ll be more invested top to bottom. She’s made in-roads in other places. She went out on some dates with Chris Stapleton, Miranda and Brent Cobb and she did some shows on her own.
Can you give me an update on David Nail?
He’s no longer on MCA and for the last eight months he’s been writing songs and recording with a buddy of his. Funny you asked, because he sent me a text today and said, ‘Hey man I wanna get together and tell you what I want to do.’ So I’m really excited.
Chuck Ainlay and Glenn Worf have co-produced with you. When and how do you decide if someone is going to co-produce with you?
That’s been a topic of conversation with me lately, with a handful of people for a lot of reasons. I’m not as much of a producer as other people are. When I came to town, I ended up making records for a lot of odd reasons. I started messing around working on demos in the studio and I thought it was a lot of fun. But I needed someone to bounce ideas off-of and the sound of a record is very important to me. I bounce a lot of ideas off engineers and I try to get them more involved than just settin’ up. Glenn Worf is one of my dearest friends in the world and he and Chuck are old friends. But that’s my call. They both bring really great things to the table. And people go, “Well it’s confusing.” Well I don’t care if people are confused or not. If somebody likes the record, why do they care? I like working with people I like and acknowledging them. We just go in there together and have a lot of fun. I’m pretty good at leaning on some other people. I like being around them and I like to listen to them and I like to hear what anybody has to offer.
Who was the first artist you ever produced and how did that happen?
The first writer I ever found that I thought could get a deal was Chris Knight. This guy’s really special, and this was a process that took many years. I was trying to find someone to produce and a couple of other guys weren’t into it or they couldn’t do it. I didn’t like the way a lot of the records that were coming out of this town sounded for this particular artist. So I just said, “I’ll start figuring this out.” It’s almost like if someone was building on your house and then they quit showing up and you just had to finish it and figure it out for yourself. But I do love it. It’s frustrating ‘cause I’m still slow and I’m still not understanding and I’m not great at it so, when new people call me and want to make a record, I have to be in way early-on, or I’m no good … but for me, it’s easier said than done.
Miranda’s double album The Weight of These Wings was a huge surprise. How did that happen?
When she came to me, she said, “I’m in a different place in my life and I’m open to anything.” And I didn’t want to change anything, but I wanted to capture what she was going through and what she was talking about. So we went over to Eric Massey’s and he has a studio behind his house and we just went over there to work and just see how some of these songs sound and try some different players. It was more about, “Let’s just go have fun and not worry about the end results.” All this was pre-production and so we made the record right there.
She was writing songs and some of the things we recorded early on, experimentally, are on the record. We just amassed songs over time, and one day we had about 35 songs. I said, “We’d better stop recording.”
What was her label’s response, when you delivered that much music?
In this particular case, there were a few things. Miranda wanted to be off on an island and not be bothered. So I told Jim Catino (head of A&R), we’re recording and Miranda wants to be a lot more experimental. Don’t be surprised if some of it makes the record. And to his credit, he understood and he could not have been more helpful about what I was trying to do. So when we got almost done with the record, we had to play it for the label and Miranda said, “Hey, we got a lot of music coming your way,” and they’re like, “What, 24 songs? We’d better start listening now.” And they came and listened to it at Blackbird and they were fired up. We never set out to make a double record. We just started recording and we tried to stay out of editing mode and in creation mode a long as possible and we ended up with two records.
I’ve never had anything but a handshake deal with her. If she walked in one day and said we’re done, then she’s done with me and I don’t take that for granted that we work together. I’m honored and I always have been.
Do you and the artists you develop have your sights set on other labels for them when they’re ready, or are your intensions to build Carnival Recording Company?
That’s a good question. I’m probably in the process of trying to build Carnival a bit more. I would love the opportunity to have a bunch of things to work on, where we don’t have to ask permission, where we can just get careers going.
What are some of the less obvious things that artists in development need to work on?
First of all, you’re going to get asked a lot of questions as you go. How do you start carrying yourself well with poise and self-respect? How when you answer a question, do you not say ‘duh’ or ‘um’? How do you get in a room and say things that matter and look people in the eye? You don’t want to be disingenuous or BS. I think they have to exude some confidence, in some fashion.
How do you as a publisher re-coup the cost of developing artists?
It depends on who’s involved. The monetization of careers is ever-changing. Maybe if you sign someone to a development deal, you’ll have a piece of management and a piece of everything they’re doing. A lot of times now you can develop somebody as a publisher and then you go and get a record deal and they can only sell 80k records and play to 10k people and you’re left out, high-n-dry. It would be nice if someone else paid for it and then just gave me all the money, when it works.
How do new writers develop relationships with publishing companies like Carnival?
Everybody gets in this a different way, but I’ve always said work on your music more than you work the system. I’ve said this on your show before. Somebody can get creative and come in and see me but if the music sucks, they’ll never see me again. It doesn’t have to be me. It could be anybody. I feel like I’ve had all these questions from writers about copyright issues and other people stealing their songs and it’s like, “Dude, no one’s going to steal your songs cause they’re terrible.” Worry about your songs. If you need to go to court, get a lawyer but worry about your songs. If someone is making great music, it’s going to catch someone’s attention somewhere.
Lee Ann Womack Wraps Week Of Exclusive Performances With Album Release
/by Eric T. ParkerLee Ann Womack. Photo: Instagram
Lee Ann Womack wrapped a series of five appearances this week with a show on Thursday, Oct. 26 at Nashville’s Lower Broadway bar Layla’s.
For the past two days, the singer has been on a promotion spree for her latest project, which hit shelves today (Oct. 27). The Lonely, the Lonesome & the Gone is her first on ATO Records.
Beginning on Sunday, Womack was at the Country Music Hall of Fame, helping induct her friend Alan Jackson by singing his career-launching 1990 chart topper “Here in the Real World.” Monday she made her way to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame event to honor inductee Tim Nichols with the 1990 Keith Whitley-popularized “I’m Over You.” Tuesday the vocalist treated the Inspire Nashville honors, which centered around Sony/ATV’s Troy Tomlinson, with a rendition of her “Stubborn (Psalm 151).”
Album promotion began Wednesday with a surprise, pop-up show at Nashville record store Grimey’s. Afterwards she announced her second pop-up album launch show on social media, “Nashville, hate that y’all couldn’t get in at Grimey’s last night so let’s do it again tonight!”
Layla’s was jam-packed by 7 p.m. with fans trying to catch a glimpse of the star through the windows of the bluegrass club. Without much ado, Womack began with her 20 year old “Little Past Little Rock,” one of two throwback titles she offered from her discography. Then, intermixed with Texas swing and country gold, Womack began previewing new music.
Highlights on the record include the heartbreaking ballad “Mama Lost Her Smile,” album title track “The Lonely, the Lonesome & the Gone” and album standout single “All The Trouble.” Womack also treated the crowd to another memorable title previewed from the album, “Hollywood.”
True to her nature, Womack also toured through country standards including Ray Price’s “My Shoes Keep Walking Back To You,” George Jones’ “When the Grass Grows Over Me,” Bob Wills’ “San Antonio Rose” and Asleep At The Wheel’s “Miles And Miles of Texas.”
Lasting only an hour, Womack let the music do the talking and made a rare introduction to the audience between songs. She did note that another album track, “Talking Behind Your Back,” is a title she has had in her back pocket since her UMG days.
CMA Extends Contract With Executive Producer Robert Deaton
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (Front row, L-R): Robert Deaton, and Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. (Back row, L-R): Brett James, CMA Board member and owner of Cornman Music and Management; Sally Williams, CMA Board Chairman and Opry Entertainment SVP of Programming & Artist Relations; Greg Ham, The MWS Group Manager & Partner and Robert Deaton Manager. Photo: Christian Bottorff / CMA
CMA has inked a five-year contract extension with the creative mind behind its three network television properties, signing Executive Producer Robert Deaton to an extension this week as he makes final preparations for The 51st Annual CMA Awards. The deal will keep Deaton at the helm of the CMA Awards, CMA Fest and CMA Country Christmas through 2021 – the length of CMA’s current deal with ABC.
A two-time Emmy Award-winning producer and director, Deaton has overseen the awards since 2007.
The 2017 CMA Awards will air live from Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 8 on ABC. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will co-host for the 10th consecutive year, and Deaton, Paisley and Underwood serve as three-quarters of the show’s writing team.
Deaton singlehandedly created CMA Music Fest’s television special, shooting the four-day event with his own equipment, editing together a sizzle reel and selling it to ABC. In its 14th year in 2017, the special turned in the network’s highest summertime non-sports show ratings in nearly seven years. Deaton also serves as executive producer of the Billboard Music Awards and directed his first feature-length film, Rounding Third, in 2016. He has more than 500 music videos to his credit.
“Robert has been a visionary leader for The CMA Awards, CMA Music Fest and CMA Country Christmas since he first came aboard,” CMA CEO Sarah Trahern said. “He has helped to create three unforgettable network television moments for fans each year, and the tens of millions who tune in annually are a testament to his hard work, dedication and creativity. We look forward to even more over the next half decade from our amazing partnership.”
“My work with the CMA has become a passion for me, something I’m always thinking about,” Deaton said. “We have built an amazing team over the last decade, evolving the show into what it is today. For all these people, the show also is a passion, and I’m beyond excited that we can keep our group together for another five years. Expect something amazing.”
Moon Taxi Talks Ryman Auditorium Shows, First Major Label Album
/by Jessica NicholsonMoon Taxi. Photo: Don VanCleave
When alt-rock band Moon Taxi, which first formed at Nashville’s Belmont University more than a decade ago, returns to perform two headlining shows at the Ryman Auditorium Friday and Saturday (Oct. 27-28), it will be as a newly-signed major label band.
The five-piece group, which includes vocalist/ guitarist Trevor Terndrup, bassist Tommy Putnam, lead guitarist/producer Spencer Thomson, drummer Tyler Ritter, and keyboardist Wes Bailey, has grown to headlining Nashville’s Live On The Green, securing performance slots on Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, and performing on The Late Show with David Letterman and Conan.
Along the way, Moon Taxi released four independent albums, the most recent being 2015’s Daybreaker, in addition to live projects such as Live Ride, and New Year’s Eve 2015, recorded from a live show at Nashville’s War Memorial Auditorium.
On the strength of its recent song “Two High,” the band inked a major label deal with RCA Records. Later this year Moon Taxi will makes its first tour of Europe, including stops in Sweden, Germany, and Norway.
Terndrup spoke with MusicRow about upcoming music, the Nashville music scene, and the success of their single “Two High.”
What does it mean to you to be headlining shows at places like the Ryman Auditorium, 10 years after you started at Belmont University?
We have some awesome and dedicated fans who have been here since we started. Every Nashville show is unique because we know we have old fans and new fans. We try to change up the set list and throw some curve ball sin there and do some throwback songs. Some new stuff too which is what I’m excited about.
How did the deal with RCA Records come about?
The popularity of “Two High” caught the attention of all the major labels. We had no intention of signing a major label deal 10 years in. We thought we were going to be independent artists our whole lives. We like that element of creative control we had and it blindsided us, the success of the song. It changed the conversation a little bit because we have been independent for so long that we wanted to keep a lot of that in house. We found the right label that will let us do that.
“Two High” was written around the time of the women’s marches held earlier this year, Terndrup details the inspiration of the song.
We were doing college shows and I think when the women’s march happened we were at [University of] Notre Dame in Indiana. I just happened upon the women’s march and was inspired.
Really, the concept for “Two High” came about after our keys player was texting somebody. He wrote “too high” and it autocorrected to “two high.” He told me that story, and I was like, ‘Oh, like the peace sign?’ Then the first verse came together really quickly and it was probably the quickest song that we wrote.
And it’s resonated. There is never a bad time for a call for unity.
How close are you to having your first RCA album ready?
We have an album ready in the pipeline, that we recorded in Nashville, like our other records. We have a release date set for early next year, so it’s fortunate that we already had the record done by the time we got to the label deal, so we knocked that out already.
How have you seen Nashville’s rock and pop scene grow over the past 10 years?
It feels like maybe Seattle did in the early ’90s, with indie rock and grunge rock. The rest of the world is talking about Nashville beyond just the country music scene. We have friends in bands here and we go support them. There is a lot happening here, and it’s a great place to call home.
Weekly Chart Report 10/27/17
/by Alex ParryClick here or above to access MusicRow‘s weekly CountryBreakout Report.
Clint Black Developing Christmas Musical
/by Jessica NicholsonClint Black. Photo: Kevin Mazur
Clint Black has a Christmas musical in development. Looking For Christmas will be helmed by director Kent Nicholson, with book by James D. Sasser, and music supervision by Charles Vincent Burwell, of The 959 Group.
The musical takes its name from Black’s 1995 Christmas album of the same name. The show will include several songs from Looking For Christmas, as well as Black’s 2004 holiday album Christmas With You, though he also penned new songs for the show.
The musical is a contemporary family story about a young American veteran, his wife and daughter. After returning home from war, he struggles with PTSD and has to find a way to fit into the family again, as well as rediscover the true meaning of Christmas.
“I had toyed with the idea of writing a musical as I’m always looking for new challenges,” said Black. “When I met James Sasser, he asked if I’d ever considered Broadway. I said, ‘Not as a performer, the work week is too long!’ We decided we’d explore ideas together as writers and I introduced the idea of a Christmas story built around my original Christmas music from Looking for Christmas and Christmas With You.”
He adds, “We developed the story to fit the music and quickly had a very clear sense of the kind of story we wanted to tell. Many of our soldiers come home from war to a new war in their minds. The holidays are always a time of heightened emotions and we knew we would have some very inspiring themes to explore, while telling a contemporary tale that would be relatable to many Americans young and old. One of the new songs is about shopping and the stress of getting ‘just the right gift’. It’s a fun look at that harried part of the holidays.”
Rare Spark Media Signs Brian Layson, Adds Three Staffers
/by Jessica NicholsonBrian Layson
Indie publishing and artist development company Rare Spark Media has added Brian Layson to its roster. The songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist joins a roster that includes Walker Hayes, Park Chisolm, Victoria Banks, and Kirsten Arian. Layson spent nearly seven years recording and touring with Will Hoge after moving to Nashville in 1999, and most recently, six years touring and recording with Dierks Bentley, before Layson left the road in 2016 to pursue writing and producing.
The company, launched by CEO Suzanne Strickland and VP/GM Scot Sherrod, celebrates its fifth anniversary this year and celebrates by adding to its staff.
Stephanie Rew has been tapped as director of media and communications, having joined the company following previous stops at Essential Broadcast Media, LLC; Raycom Media and the Academy of Country Music.
Carly Strickland has been named creative director, following her previous role as an associate producer with Firefly Media.
CeCe Dawson has been tapped as part-time visual designer, overseeing content creation and creative assets for the company.
RareSpark Media Group, Inc. Staff (L-R): Katie Allen, Stephanie Rew, Suzanne Strickland, Scot Sherrod, Carly Strickland and CeCe Dawson
Exclusive: Carla Wallace Talks Big Yellow Dog Music’s Evolution With Artist Development, Synch Placement
/by Jessica NicholsonCarla Wallace
Earlier this week, Jessie James Decker earned her first No. 1 country album with Southern Girl City Lights (her first release for Epic Records). Decker, also a songwriter for Nashville’s Big Yellow Dog Music (BYD), penned nine of the 12 tracks on the album, which was produced by fellow BYD writer Daniel Agee. The company signed Decker as an artist-writer in 2014, and released several singles on its in-house record label, which led to Decker’s signing with Epic.
Decker’s recent success is another feather in the cap for Big Yellow Dog Music, a multi-faceted company with a roster of 19 talented music makers, which co-owner Carla Wallace launched in 1998 with Kerry O’Neil. More recently, the company has become as known for artist development as for publishing, helping launch the careers of Decker’s fellow artist-writers including Meghan Trainor and Maren Morris. Wallace says much of that success is attributed to knowing a publisher’s role in the process.
“Artist development is not something that anyone but the artist can do,” Wallace tells MusicRow.com. “It’s always up to them.
“As a publisher who loves working with new talent, recognizing your place within that role comes first to me. Most writers/artists need room to breathe, room to make mistakes, room to write the best & worst without someone standing over top of them whacking them into shape. Although I do my share of whacking when necessary,” she quips.
Big Yellow Dog Music celebrates Jessie James Decker’s album sales success. Pictured (Back row, L-R): Daniel Tashian, Shane Stevens, Jessie James Decker, Daniel Agee, Micah Wilshire, Matt McVaney. (Front row, L-R): Abe Stoklasa; Jessie’s sister, Sydney Bass; Alyssa Bonagura; Jessie’s daughter, Vivianne Decker
This year alone, BYD writers have earned chart-toppers including Lauren Alaina’s “Road Less Traveled” (co-written by BYD writer and pop star Meghan Trainor), the Florida Georgia Line/Backstreet Boys Platinum-selling smash “God, Your Mama, and Me” (co-penned by Josh Kear), and Josh Turner’s “Hometown Girl” (Daniel Tashian). The company is the reigning AIMP Independent Publisher of the Year. That is in addition to numerous cuts by BYD writers on albums from Chris Stapleton, Dustin Lynch, Lindsay Ell, Sara Evans, Joe Nichols, Charlie Worsham, and Robert Randolph and the Family Band.
28th Annual MusicRow Awards (C) Moments By Moser Photography
Columbia Nashville artist Morris is currently nominated for CMA’s Female Vocalist of the Year, as well as Musical Event of the Year and Music Video of the Year (for “Craving You” with Thomas Rhett). She recently topped the iTunes chart with the compelling “Dear Hate,” featuring Vince Gill on backing vocals. This success follows her breakout singles “My Church” and “’80s Mercedes,” as well as her slow burn current single “I Could Use A Love Song.”
But from the beginning, Morris had Wallace in her corner, championing her no matter which direction Morris’ career would take.
“She would set me up with writers in Nashville and Los Angeles that were out of the box and wrote pop and all sorts of stuff,” Morris says. “At one point, Carla and I flew out to LA. She hooked me up with this girl Audra Mae, who is such a badass and really inspired me. That was the week I wrote “My Church” with busbee. She took me to his place, which was way outside of Los Angeles. Then she picked me up, and the three of us went and got sushi. We were buzzing from the write. I was, like, Carla, I can’t wait for you to hear this. After dinner, busbee and I played her the demo of “My Church.” She freaked out. We were all freaking out. We really thought we had something special.
That song changed my whole thinking pattern from ‘songwriter’ to ‘artist.’ That was the first song I wrote where I was, like, I need to keep this. Carla was the first person we played it for, and she obviously, instantly got it.”
Big Yellow Dog’s in-house label also released Logan Mize’s Come Back Road, which earned Top 20 status on the country albums chart. Wallace and her staff also began working with R&B singer Shy Carter on his album Tha Fountain of Juice Vol. 1.
“I first met Shy probably 10 years ago. I couldn’t believe someone like him was crafting songs with such freshness, I introduced him right away to Meghan Trainor & Billy Currington. I wanted to work with him because I couldn’t stand hearing how great his music was, and not doing something about it.”
Big Yellow Dog’s aim to seek new ways of getting writers and artist-writers’ music into the ears and hearts of listeners drove Wallace and her team to launch an in-house sync department. The company has been aggressive in seeking out synch placements, having success with movies and television shows including Big Little Lies, Grey’s Anatomy, 13 Reasons Why, Nashville and more.
“Synch has been so important to us because we were always signing writers outside of the country genre,” Wallace says. “We found it more effective to build out our own staff than to rely on outside consultants. Our staff travels to Europe & LA and thoroughly knows our writers and catalog, and that works well for us.”
Every new venture represents both a risk and progress to better serve each of the artists and writers under the Big Yellow Dog umbrella.
“I hate to gamble because I feel like I do it everyday,” Wallace says of the inherent roll of the dice that comes with working with a new writer or artist, in hopes of a long-lasting, profitable partnership. “It’s partnering with someone that you might have just met, giving them money to live off of while you both decide to hustle a career in the music business. Personally taking on their lives, their daily struggles, their family, or being their family, being a therapist, moral supporter, voice of reason, critique, salesman, marketing director, cheerleader and friend. But the pay off, is not in the financials, that is the proof of the work, but the reward to me are the lasting relationships that I’ve managed to have with our writers.”
For a separate interview on Carla Wallace, Big Yellow Dog Music, and the Nashville music publishing industry, purchase MusicRow’s 2017 Publisher print issue, or subscribe to MusicRow here.
WMN And Southwest Airlines Announce Expanded Partnership With Artists And Staff
/by Eric T. ParkerDevin Dawson. Photo: Southwest
Warner Music Nashville (WMN) and Southwest Airlines have announced an expanded partnership with Southwest committing support to WMN artists through a variety of fan-focused marketing and promotional opportunities while WMN artists and staff will keep their long-standing tradition of traveling with the Dallas-based international airline.
Sweepstakes, pop up shows, surprises and rewards can be expected with the airline with WMN artists continuing to support Southwest’s Live at 35 inflight concert series and its Opry at the Southwest Porch at Bryant Park summer concert series.
To celebrate this announcement, Atlantic Records/WMN artist Devin Dawson took to the sky for a high-flying performance from Nashville (BNA) to Philadelphia (PHL) as a part of the in-flight series. Dawson’s Dark Horse is due out Jan. 19.
“The employees of Southwest Airlines are already a part of our extended family,” shared Marieke Bianchi, Vice President, Marketing & Strategic Partnerships at WMN. “No airline is more accommodating to our artists’ unique needs when traveling, whether it’s helping them with their guitars and gear, service animals or frequent schedule changes. We are thrilled to formalize this relationship and continue to develop unique ways to celebrate country music and the fans who support it.”
“At Southwest, we connect in a meaningful way with our Customers and Employees through music,” said Linda Rutherford, Vice President & Chief Communications Officer at Southwest Airlines. “With this partnership with Warner Music Nashville, we are excited to continue to offer new music experiences to our Customers, and provide WMN artists and fans our friendly and reliable Customer Service – complete with our promise that bags (and guitars) fly free*.”
Kenny Rogers Brings Legends To ‘All In For The Gambler’ Farewell Concert
/by Eric T. ParkerKenny Rogers, Dolly Parton. Photo: Blackbird Presents/Webster PR
Kenny Rogers is retired. Rogers’ 60-year career culminated at the Bridgestone Arena last night (Oct. 25) for the All In For The Gambler: Kenny Rogers’ Farewell Concert Celebration taping. Pay no attention to his Christmas tour running through December. And the air date has not yet been announced for the special.
Rogers sat side stage, welcoming a slew of friends, including Lionel Richie (“Lady”) and Don Henley (“Desperado”), who once lived with Rogers and his family. Also appearing were Wynonna (“You Turn The Light On”), The Judds (“Back To The Well”), Reba McEntire (“Reuben James”), Kris Kristofferson (“Me And Bobby McGhee”), The Oak Ridge Boys (“Love Or Something Like It”) and Crystal Gayle and Travis Tritt led a chorus of The Gatlin Brothers, Kim Forester, T.G. Sheppard, Lee Greenwood, T. Graham Brown, and Billy Dean for “Blaze of Glory.” Members from Rogers’ 1960s-1970s pop group The First Edition also took the stage for a photo appearance.
Little Big Town. Photo: Blackbird Presents/Webster PR
Don Henley. Photo: Blackbird Presents/Webster PR
Not only were newer artists present—like Justin Moore (“Lucille”), Billy Currington (“Morning Desires”), Chris Stapleton (“The Gambler”) and Little Big Town (“Through The Years”)—crossover artists also took turns, among them Aaron Lewis (“Coward of the County”), The Flaming Lips (“Ruby”), Elle King (“Tulsa Turnround”) and Idina Menzel (“You Decorated My Life”).
The evening’s most sparkling performances were kicked off by mother-daughter duet with Linda Davis and Hillary Scott, “Twenty Years Ago.” Jamey Johnson delivered two, most notably “Sweet Music Man,” and “Just Dropped In.” Alison Krauss was elegant as always on “Love the World Away.” Fresh-faced Lady Antebellum delivered a memorable “She Believes In Me,” while member Charles Kelley continued with a fantastic duet with Menzel, “We’ve Got Tonight.”
Even the house band was top notch, led by Don Was and featuring talent including Jedd Hughes and Tom Bukovak among many others. The evening’s host was Chip Esten.
Bill Haslam and Nashville mayor Megan Barry’s reps presented plaques, marking the day as Kenny Rogers Day and honoring him with the Armed Services Award, among other plaques.
Lionel Richie. Photo: Blackbird Presents/Webster PR
Idina Menzel, Charles Kelley. Photo: Blackbird Presents/Webster PR
The evening’s main attraction, of course, was Rogers with Dolly Parton.
“Thank you for coming here tonight to help me say goodbye,” said Rogers. “You guys have made this a very special night for me. I enjoyed every song—some of those songs I’ll never sing again.”
The pair began their three-song set with their 2013 release “You Can’t Make Old Friends.”
Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton. Photo: Blackbird Presents/Webster PR
The pair talked for a cumulitive 15 minutes straight about everything from favorite career memories to plastic surgeries with their candid charm and signature wit.
“She is like this 24/7,” said Rogers of Parton’s energy.
“I go on with a lot of foolishness, ‘cuz I like to have fun and lighten things up, but there is a place deep in my country heart that goes beyond understanding—beyond the jokes and everything else,” said a tearful Parton.”I like to think my heart’s real—probably the only thing real about me—but with that heart I have a spot for you that’s never going to be touched by anyone else, and I’m gonna hold you there forever…But good lord, you’re just retiring, you’re not dying!”
Parton then performed her signature “I Will Always Love You” as Rogers again, sat back.
Then the moment everyone waited for. As cameras rolled, the final duet performance of “Islands In The Stream.” Parton and Rogers then took a bow, and “went out like rock stars” with a dual mic-drop before walking back through the risers into the lights, in each others’ embrace.
The Producer’s Chair: Frank Liddell
/by contributorFrank Liddell. Photo: Blu Sanders
Don’t miss 2017 ACM Album of the Year recipient Frank Liddell on The Producer’s Chair on Thursday, October 26 at World Music Nashville at 7:30 p.m. Purchase tickets http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3115850
If I were to speculate as to why Frank Liddell is one of the most sought-after producers on Music Row, I would have to say he has great ears, great instincts, he knows when to get out of the way and his records don’t sound like anybody else’s. But don’t think for one minute his learning curve was easy. Liddell wasn’t an engineer, a musician, a songwriter or an artist. He joked about being out to dinner with Dann Huff and not understanding a word he says half the time…and Huff thought he was joking. Liddell says having a publishing background and having a musician’s background are worlds apart.
Liddell moved from Houston to Nashville in the early ’90s, where his first two career stops were Bluewater Music and Decca, where he pitched songs, scouted talent, and helped creatively direct careers but, it was during his stint at Decca, that he started doing what producer’s do.
“I started doing demos years ago with a guy named Bill Holiday, a guitar player who had a studio. And the first time I showed up, he had a track sheet and at the top it said my name as a Producer. I said, ‘What does a producer do?’ I was a songplugger. And he said, ‘You’re gonna help me figure this thing out.’ I had so much fun.”
In 1997, Liddell launched Carnival Music’s publishing arm with partner Travis Hill, an embodiment of his fully formed music-first philosophy.
“This is a talent-driven town, not marketing driven,” Liddell says. “The marketing doesn’t inspire the talent; the talent inspires the marketing.”
Today Carnival has a boat-load of publishing awards, a record label division, The Carnival Recording Co. and 14 staff writers including Adam Wright, Aubrie Sellers, Brent Cobb, Dani Flowers, David Nail, Derik Hultquist, Hailey Whitters, Mando Saenz, Scooter Carusoe, Stoney LaRue, Troy Jones, Dustin Christenson, Aham Smith and Gretchen Peters, a handful of whom, are in artist development. Since its inception, Carnival has published the first No. 1 singles of eight songwriters’ careers.
Recently Liddell won his fourth Album of the Year trophy at the 2017 ACM Awards for Miranda Lambert’s The Weight of These Wings and 2014 ACM Producer of the Year, following his three other wins, for his work on Four the Record in 2012, Revolution in 2010 and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend in 2008.
The Weight of These Wings is two discs (24 songs) and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart and No. 3 on the all-genre US Billboard 200 chart in 2016 and is certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Other releases Liddell has worked on include Lee Ann Womack’s The Way I’m Livin’, The Very Best of Kellie Pickler, David Nail’s Fighter and I’m a Fire, Stoney LaRue’s Aviator, and Eli Young Band’s 10,000 Towns in 2014, Aubrie Seller’s New City Blues album in 2016 and Charlie Worsham’s 2017 album Beginning of Things.
The Producer’s Chair: I saw where your youngest daughter Annalise (18), has an ‘Assistant Engineer’ credit on Miranda’s album. Would you consider that a part of her artist development?
Frank Liddell: To get where they’re going, everybody in our business, took a different path. If you look at Jay Joyce, he was an alternative rock artist and then guitar player and somehow now—among the many other genius things—I see he produces country records. It’s logical but nobody else will do it that way again. She just said; “You know what … I wanna just work in the studio.” And I think she’s trying to find her way. I think that any time you learn one discipline, or even a little bit about that discipline, you know a little more about another.
Your eldest daughter Aubrie (26) is signed to Warner Bros. How did that come about?
We made her record independently and I funded it (Carnival Recording Company) and Warner Bros. bought the record and took over. We put it out and Warner loved it and bought it and worked with her and this next record will be hers and their record, from the ground up and they’ll be more invested top to bottom. She’s made in-roads in other places. She went out on some dates with Chris Stapleton, Miranda and Brent Cobb and she did some shows on her own.
Can you give me an update on David Nail?
He’s no longer on MCA and for the last eight months he’s been writing songs and recording with a buddy of his. Funny you asked, because he sent me a text today and said, ‘Hey man I wanna get together and tell you what I want to do.’ So I’m really excited.
Chuck Ainlay and Glenn Worf have co-produced with you. When and how do you decide if someone is going to co-produce with you?
That’s been a topic of conversation with me lately, with a handful of people for a lot of reasons. I’m not as much of a producer as other people are. When I came to town, I ended up making records for a lot of odd reasons. I started messing around working on demos in the studio and I thought it was a lot of fun. But I needed someone to bounce ideas off-of and the sound of a record is very important to me. I bounce a lot of ideas off engineers and I try to get them more involved than just settin’ up. Glenn Worf is one of my dearest friends in the world and he and Chuck are old friends. But that’s my call. They both bring really great things to the table. And people go, “Well it’s confusing.” Well I don’t care if people are confused or not. If somebody likes the record, why do they care? I like working with people I like and acknowledging them. We just go in there together and have a lot of fun. I’m pretty good at leaning on some other people. I like being around them and I like to listen to them and I like to hear what anybody has to offer.
Who was the first artist you ever produced and how did that happen?
The first writer I ever found that I thought could get a deal was Chris Knight. This guy’s really special, and this was a process that took many years. I was trying to find someone to produce and a couple of other guys weren’t into it or they couldn’t do it. I didn’t like the way a lot of the records that were coming out of this town sounded for this particular artist. So I just said, “I’ll start figuring this out.” It’s almost like if someone was building on your house and then they quit showing up and you just had to finish it and figure it out for yourself. But I do love it. It’s frustrating ‘cause I’m still slow and I’m still not understanding and I’m not great at it so, when new people call me and want to make a record, I have to be in way early-on, or I’m no good … but for me, it’s easier said than done.
Miranda’s double album The Weight of These Wings was a huge surprise. How did that happen?
When she came to me, she said, “I’m in a different place in my life and I’m open to anything.” And I didn’t want to change anything, but I wanted to capture what she was going through and what she was talking about. So we went over to Eric Massey’s and he has a studio behind his house and we just went over there to work and just see how some of these songs sound and try some different players. It was more about, “Let’s just go have fun and not worry about the end results.” All this was pre-production and so we made the record right there.
She was writing songs and some of the things we recorded early on, experimentally, are on the record. We just amassed songs over time, and one day we had about 35 songs. I said, “We’d better stop recording.”
What was her label’s response, when you delivered that much music?
In this particular case, there were a few things. Miranda wanted to be off on an island and not be bothered. So I told Jim Catino (head of A&R), we’re recording and Miranda wants to be a lot more experimental. Don’t be surprised if some of it makes the record. And to his credit, he understood and he could not have been more helpful about what I was trying to do. So when we got almost done with the record, we had to play it for the label and Miranda said, “Hey, we got a lot of music coming your way,” and they’re like, “What, 24 songs? We’d better start listening now.” And they came and listened to it at Blackbird and they were fired up. We never set out to make a double record. We just started recording and we tried to stay out of editing mode and in creation mode a long as possible and we ended up with two records.
I’ve never had anything but a handshake deal with her. If she walked in one day and said we’re done, then she’s done with me and I don’t take that for granted that we work together. I’m honored and I always have been.
Do you and the artists you develop have your sights set on other labels for them when they’re ready, or are your intensions to build Carnival Recording Company?
That’s a good question. I’m probably in the process of trying to build Carnival a bit more. I would love the opportunity to have a bunch of things to work on, where we don’t have to ask permission, where we can just get careers going.
What are some of the less obvious things that artists in development need to work on?
First of all, you’re going to get asked a lot of questions as you go. How do you start carrying yourself well with poise and self-respect? How when you answer a question, do you not say ‘duh’ or ‘um’? How do you get in a room and say things that matter and look people in the eye? You don’t want to be disingenuous or BS. I think they have to exude some confidence, in some fashion.
How do you as a publisher re-coup the cost of developing artists?
It depends on who’s involved. The monetization of careers is ever-changing. Maybe if you sign someone to a development deal, you’ll have a piece of management and a piece of everything they’re doing. A lot of times now you can develop somebody as a publisher and then you go and get a record deal and they can only sell 80k records and play to 10k people and you’re left out, high-n-dry. It would be nice if someone else paid for it and then just gave me all the money, when it works.
How do new writers develop relationships with publishing companies like Carnival?
Everybody gets in this a different way, but I’ve always said work on your music more than you work the system. I’ve said this on your show before. Somebody can get creative and come in and see me but if the music sucks, they’ll never see me again. It doesn’t have to be me. It could be anybody. I feel like I’ve had all these questions from writers about copyright issues and other people stealing their songs and it’s like, “Dude, no one’s going to steal your songs cause they’re terrible.” Worry about your songs. If you need to go to court, get a lawyer but worry about your songs. If someone is making great music, it’s going to catch someone’s attention somewhere.